She Was About To Be Married At The Age Of 15, But She Fought Back And Won

Yes, you read that right. This is the story of a daughter inspiring her mother to take a step in the right direction. This is Sarika’s story. A fifteen-year-old student of the ninth standard, Sarika was studying in the Sitalpur High School, in Munger, Bihar. One of the bright students in her class, Sarika was extremely interested in continuing her education. Her parents, though, thought otherwise. They were already on the lookout for a groom for this child and the first step they took was to stop her from going to school.

What they knew was that it was the norm to marry off their girl as soon as possible. This ensured her ‘security’ in her adolescence. What they didn’t know was that they had tremendously underestimated their own daughter. As soon as she came to know of her wedding, Sarika alerted her friends in the “Munna-Munni Manch” (Children’s Group in her village, Mai, an intervention by CRY-supported project Disha Vihar) and the Women’s Group. The parents, resorting to desperate measures, stopped her from leaving the house. She was trapped in her own home, and could not even meet her friends.

In the meanwhile, the family of the groom met Sarika’s parents, and her mother finalised her marriage. To make sure that there would be no obstacles in the way, the groom agreed not to take any dowry.

Sarika was not to be convinced. She held her ground. This enabled the staff of Disha Vihar, the community, the children’s group and the women’s group to sensitise Sarika’s parents against child marriage. While they spoke to the girl’s family about the ill effects of child marriage on the child’s life, they also explained the vulnerabilities that it would expose Sarika to; they informed the groom’s family that what they were doing is illegal.

Finally, the job was done. The groom’s family called off the marriage. Today, Sarika is back to doing what she does best – studying. She completed her Secondary Examinations in the year 2013 and Higher Secondary (Humanities) in the year 2015. She has applied for Bachelor of Arts in the colleges of Munger apart from pursuing a basic computer course.

This, however, is not the end of the story. What Sarika has been able to do, is sensitise an entire village against the process of child marriage. More so, today this girl is accompanied by her mother in stopping child marriages in not only her own village but also in the neighbouring ones.

My Story: “Six Years Ago My Daughter Ran Away With A Boy. After One Month The Boy Disappeared”

Partner Story

An Army Colonel Is Changing Lives Of Thousand Of People From North-East Using White Bullets

Retiring after spending 32 years in the Indian Army, Col Chris Rego is helping change the destinies of hundreds of children in conflict-affected North East India through his “White Bullets” initiative. With this initiative, he hopes to bring peace and progress to communities across North East India.

Luminouswanted to bring out the Colonel’s story to the world to inspire and motivate others as it believes that education is a strong tool to empower women. It is supporting Col Rego’s cause through an initiative called #Luminaries – the brave people who stand up for causes like girl child education and make a difference in the society.

Col Rego’s journey started over a decade ago in Manipur when a tribal woman knocked on his door pleading for support for her daughter’s education. Touched by the woman’s story, Col Rego and his wife delved into their savings and arranged for the money for the girl’s education. Two years down the line, the woman returned, this time with a small pumpkin and a shawl that she had knitted, and all the money she had borrowed. Moved and realizing that their money could make lives rather than earn paltry interest, Col and Mrs. Rego embarked on a journey to arrange for sponsorship of many more underprivileged children.

Retiring from the Army, Col Rego took over as CEO of Sunbird Trust, a not-for-profit organization which he founded in 2014. The Trust now sponsor over 1,000 children in 21 locations acrossNorth East India. The centre of Sunbird Trust’s activities is at beautiful Ijeirong, Manipur.

Recognizing Col Chris’s immense work, Luminousacknowledged him as their first Luminary. Through this, they hope to bring more power to his elbow in the notable work he is doing. The Luminousteam travelled to remote Ijeirong village and installed solar products. These solar products will help in providing power to the entire campus 24/7 for the very first time.

The Logical Indian salutes Col Christopher Rego for his untiring efforts and leadership. His efforts are already having a cascading effect on people from across India joining the “White Bullets” endeavour. Quite amazingly, education, in itself so empowering, is merely a means to PEACE. We hope the path illuminated by #Luminary Col Rego and his Sunbird Trust team acts as a beacon for others to follow.

If you too have stories of change, share them with us. And if you want to connect with Colonel Rego, click here.